Denial
by Diabolus-in-Harmonia
Summary: After an unpleasant encounter with a somewhat vengeful N, the shadow triad lament the consequences of Ghetsis' failure.


Zekrom's hulking frame was all they needed to see to be confident they'd left Ghetsis unattended for far too long.

They were careful to stay out of the legendary beast's line of sight as they approached, noting the sad sight of a battered Hydreigon still struggling to remove itself from underneath Zekrom's foot. They could only wonder what N could possibly want with Ghetsis after their heart-warming exchange in the castle, hastening their search as the ideas their minds offered grew darker.

An odd mixture of relief and discomfort flooded the three of them in tandem when they found N pinning their master down _outside _of his bedroom, and a sense of morbid curiosity prevented them from separating the two immediately. Instead, the shadow triad concealed themselves in the doorway, taking in the strange situation before them, but nevertheless poised to attack if N raised a hand against Lord Ghetsis.

As it was, all they could see was the backwards contrast of N's smirk against Ghetsis' glare, and the taller man's wrists being pressed ever more firmly into the wall, on either side of his head. A low hiss could be heard, but not deciphered, followed by an unnerving chuckle. N shifted his grip on his adoptive father, snaking his hands upwards to meet Ghetsis' own, and the triad's collective hiss of discomfort mirrored their lord's perfectly.

N smiled a little wider, and they could hear him ask his father what was wrong. The urge to act began to overpower their curiosity as Ghetsis shivered – _revolted_ by such contact – and attempted to put on a brave face. Whatever he'd defiantly muttered only encouraged N to violate his personal space further, interlocking their fingers and bringing their faces ever closer, pointedly ignoring the taller man's involuntary shudders of disgust. It was only when Ghetsis _squirmed _and emitted a seldom-heard whimper – abandoning all pretence of nonchalance – that they knew they had to act.

"Stop."

N masked any surprise at their appearance commendably well, only reacting with a short huff and sideways glance, "why? I'm trying to repay him for his kindness."

The triad narrowed their eyes simultaneously, fast losing their patience. Two shadows shot forwards, grabbing an arm each, whilst the third attempted one more try at getting N to leave of his own volition, "let go. There is nothing for you here."

The boy paused, and the shadows gripped ever harder as he hesitated. "Fine," he hissed, digging his fingernails into Ghetsis' hands before letting go, clearly unsatisfied. He shrugged the shadows off and left the house, muttering something about "having friends to help anyway."

Immediately, the three turned their attention to their fallen lord, still faintly trembling. "Thank you," he rasped, avoiding all six of the eyes trained on him. An uncomfortable silence fell - the shadows weren't acquainted with seeing their lord so vulnerable, nor was Ghetsis acquainted with showing off his weaknesses.

"Do you—"

"I'm fine," Ghetsis said, straightening himself(and trying to keep the tremor out of his hands as he did so). He strode past them as if nothing had happened, muttering a quiet "as you were" as he left.

As if this hadn't changed anything.

They had saved him before, but he'd been _angry _then, and lord Ghetsis grew only more magnificent when he was angry, control or no control.

It was almost saddening, even to them. Seeing just how much their joint failure had taken from him, and from them. It was harder to blindly look up to him now that he'd demonstrated his imperfection, and even his valiant attempts to maintain the façade were only further proof that he was damaged. Ghetsis had always been weak as an individual and an expert at finding others to protect him with their lives, whether they be pokémon or human pawns, but with only the three of them left in the latter category, he was a stone's throw away from nothing…

A huff sounded from one of the shadows – _do not dwell on it_ - and his brothers couldn't help but concur. For now, their job was seeking out the grunts that still, _somehow_, remained loyal to their lord. The chosen child who had found the single weakness in Ghetsis' plans was nowhere to be found, and rebuilding their lord's armour was far more productive than agonising over his weaknesses.

Each of them forced the fresh memory Ghetsis' fearful gaze to the back of their minds, again confident in his abilities and _near_-infallible logic.

There was work to be done.


End file.
